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For homeschooling parents who want to teach their children that the
earth is only a few thousand years old, the theory of evolution is a
lie, and dinosaurs coexisted with humans, there is no shortage of
materials. Kids can start with the Answers in Genesis curriculum, which
features books such as Dinosaurs of Eden,
written by Creation Museum founder Ken Ham. As the publisher's
description states, "This exciting book for the entire family uses the
Bible as a 'time machine' to journey through the events of the past and
future."

It's no secret that the majority of homeschooled children in America
belong to evangelical Christian families. What's less known is that a
growing number of their parents are dismayed by these textbooks.

Take Erinn Cameron Warton, an evangelical Christian who homeschools
her children. Warton, a scientist, says she was horrified when she
opened a homeschool science textbook and found a picture of Adam and Eve
putting a saddle on a dinosaur. "I nearly choked," says the mother of
three.

Wait, I'm confused by the word evolution being thrown around....to clarify, for those christians who say they believe in evolution instead of the 6 days as stated in the Bible, do you believe we evolved from apes, or just evolution of the earth in general? As a christian scientist, I do believe that things evolve. It is evident in research and throughout history. But I in no way believe we evolved from apes. Just curious....

I was raised in the Christian Science church and when evolution was discussed, it was considered a viable theory. I actually heard much less support for YEC than OEC in the church.

Also, it's a common misconception that OEC believe that humans evolved from "monkeys" or "apes". The theory is that we shared a common ancestor. If cars and tickle me elmos both share a common ancestor-- the battery, invented by Volta-- then did cars come from tickle me elmo? No, they just share a common point in history, where they diverged from each other. Same goes for humans and apes. Humans didn't come from chimpanzees-- they just share a common point in history, where they diverged from each other.

Personally, I believe that the universe was created via the Big Bang (or something very similar), cooled, condensed, and evolved to this point, and humankind coming into existence was part of that. The combination of organic molecules and energy resulted in the creation of life, which resulted in single-celled organisms, on upward to homo sapiens. And I believe that God's hands guided every single moment and every solitary step of the process. Personal belief, of course-- I only speak for myself.

Quoting rsrangel:

Wait, I'm confused by the word evolution being thrown around....to clarify, for those christians who say they believe in evolution instead of the 6 days as stated in the Bible, do you believe we evolved from apes, or just evolution of the earth in general? As a christian scientist, I do believe that things evolve. It is evident in research and throughout history. But I in no way believe we evolved from apes. Just curious....

I do not care if non-christians believe the way I do or not. They do not believe in heaven or Grace, many do not believe that praying has any effect but to calm the pray-er, but I do. It's not about whether non-christians believe it or not. I believe in the Lutheran methods of reading the Bible and coming to my own conclusions.

I believe that there is a lot of evidence about evolution, but I believe that God is right there in the process all the time. I believe we evolved to become his image in that we make connections, we want to understand, we like to create things, we love one another, and strive to love more perfectly the way He does. I believe we honor Him when we are curious about His creation and His processes (tools).

It seems as though it is an affront to you if we believe differently than you do. So do you believe that this is a Salvation issue? Do you believe that the things we believe are going to stop us from being saved? I just wonder because you do seem to be getting angry about our answers and our questions.

Quoting gratefulgal:

So the bible is more of a history text written by, say, the inhabitants of that region, as opposed to a document meant to help guide our lives and given to us by our Lord God. It seems that thereis belief in biblical facts, but only if someone else who is not Christian believes them, too.

By the way carbon dating is NOT an exact science. They STILL don't know how old the Grand Canyon is, and while it seems to be older than 8 thousand years or so, there is talk that it isn't as old as they once suspected.

As per PP and the fosils, she was talking about the fact that a major flood can mimic the effects of thousands of years of age by just the sheer pressure.

Evolution and the Big Bang were theories developed by scientists to explain the mysteries of the universe for those who did not accept the possiblity of God. So why are Christians just going along with it? Along with evolution goes biological issues and natural selection, and that we find mates solely based on insitinct and hormones, that men can't help but cheat on their because "they were biologically desiged" to spread their seed as much as possible. So just out of evolution came a species that can commune with God and who has a soul? That's how that happened? Really?

Quoting SusanTheWriter:

Actually, that archaeological and mythological record supports the Biblical truth, rather than the other way around. And the fact that a people who didn't even know Australia existed, but watched their entire civilization be wiped out by a flood, can certainly be expected to believe that the destruction was world-wide. Far from what you suggest as a lessening of faith, I find the Bible stands up well as a historical record with the understanding that it's the record of a specific culture in a specific time.

Quoting gratefulgal:

which is what I'm saying. If you believe in evolution, it also takes other things out of the bible, such as Adam and Eve and other stories. Christians are choosing to believe in a changed bible, one that fits what everyone else thinks.

Quoting SusanTheWriter:

Actually, there's plenty of evidence that a flood did occur as described in Noah's story. It devastated a huge area of what's now known as the Middle East, but it wasn't literally global. You can find records of a similar event - including a Noah figure - in all the mythology of the area from Persia to India, but not in, say, Australia or South America. So the Bible is accurate insofar as it records the flood covering the world that was known to the Israelites at the time, but not as we've come to know the world.

I am sorry that I have come across as angry. I don't believe it is a salvation issue, and I am not surprised by the division among the different groups of christians. We are all allowed to believe what we believe. It seems that there is even division among those that believe in evolution-- whether or not we evolved from apes or just the evolution of the earth (pp). I guess this is whythere are so many posts looking for the right science curriculum! :)

Sorry to those who I have offended. It was a shock to see that the christian stand has changed, and I guess nobody let me know. :)

8) I don't think the Christian stand has changed because it really wasn't a unified belief. Even interpretations of the Bible have been argued since it's beginning.

Quoting gratefulgal:

I am sorry that I have come across as angry. I don't believe it is a salvation issue, and I am not surprised by the division among the different groups of christians. We are all allowed to believe what we believe. It seems that there is even division among those that believe in evolution-- whether or not we evolved from apes or just the evolution of the earth (pp). I guess this is whythere are so many posts looking for the right science curriculum! :)

Sorry to those who I have offended. It was a shock to see that the christian stand has changed, and I guess nobody let me know. :)

I am sorry that I have come across as angry. I don't believe it is a salvation issue, and I am not surprised by the division among the different groups of christians. We are all allowed to believe what we believe. It seems that there is even division among those that believe in evolution-- whether or not we evolved from apes or just the evolution of the earth (pp). I guess this is whythere are so many posts looking for the right science curriculum! :)

Sorry to those who I have offended. It was a shock to see that the christian stand has changed, and I guess nobody let me know. :)

Science does not say that we evolved from apes - even atheist evolutionists do not believe that. It is a very common misconception among people who do not accept evolution, but it's not true at all.

Quoting gratefulgal:

I am sorry that I have come across as angry. I don't believe it is a salvation issue, and I am not surprised by the division among the different groups of christians. We are all allowed to believe what we believe. It seems that there is even division among those that believe in evolution-- whether or not we evolved from apes or just the evolution of the earth (pp). I guess this is whythere are so many posts looking for the right science curriculum! :)

Sorry to those who I have offended. It was a shock to see that the christian stand has changed, and I guess nobody let me know. :)

Many denominations have not changed, though - many never ran with one or the other; allowing, rather, for the individual to decide.

Even my 80 year old FIL (a devout Catholic) is old earth - and always has been.

Quoting gratefulgal:

I am sorry that I have come across as angry. I don't believe it is a salvation issue, and I am not surprised by the division among the different groups of christians. We are all allowed to believe what we believe. It seems that there is even division among those that believe in evolution-- whether or not we evolved from apes or just the evolution of the earth (pp). I guess this is whythere are so many posts looking for the right science curriculum! :)

Sorry to those who I have offended. It was a shock to see that the christian stand has changed, and I guess nobody let me know. :)

Thanks.

I am a Home Schooling, Vaccinating, Non spanking, Nightmare Cuddling, Dessert Giving, Bedtime Kissing, Book Reading, Stay at Home Mom. I believe in the benefit of organized after school activities and nosy, involved parents. I believe in spoiling my children. I believe that I have seen the village and I do not want it anywhere near my children. Now for the controversial stuff: we have traditional gender roles, we're Catholic, I'm Libertarian, he's Republican, we're both conservative, and we own guns (now there's no need to ask, lol). Aimee

Lets get one thing clear, evolution is FACT. Denying the Theory of Evolution is like denying the Theory of Gravity. A scientific theory is accepted as fact because it's been tested & studied. It's not the same thing as a saying you have a theory about how the cookies on the table disappeared. That's a hunch or guess & has nothing in common with science. Also there is no such thing as micro & macro evolution. They are laymen's terms to specify time but are not scientific terms. I'm thrilled that so many families (homeschool or not) are finally accepting what science has known for so long.

Gravity is a law, not a theory. The theory of evolution is supported by a number of ecological and anthropoligical findings, but because we are theorizing about a past event, it cannot be tested so as to become an observable law. Same thing with the Big Bang theory-- if it can't be supported with empirical evidence, it cannot be a law-- it has to remain a theory. Not trying to take away from evolution, just trying to clarify the word usage. It is similar to figuring out where the cookies went-- a hypothesis would say, "Maybe the cookies were blown off of the table by wind." A theory would say, "The cookies were most likely blown off of the table by the wind because this is a windy area and we found crumbs on the floor." A law would say, "Cookies can be blown off of the table because F=ma and the necessary force was applied by the wind to accelerate the cookies off the edge of the table, on to the floor." So a law describes what happens in any given situation and is applied to a wide swath of situations. A theory speculates and can be applied to a specific selection of events-- and so is generally what we use for explanations of past phenomena.

There is certainly a difference between evolution observable on a small scale and evolution observable on a large scale. http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evoscales_01

Quoting Kerseygeek:

Lets get one thing clear, evolution is FACT. Denying the Theory of Evolution is like denying the Theory of Gravity. A scientific theory is accepted as fact because it's been tested & studied. It's not the same thing as a saying you have a theory about how the cookies on the table disappeared. That's a hunch or guess & has nothing in common with science. Also there is no such thing as micro & macro evolution. They are laymen's terms to specify time but are not scientific terms. I'm thrilled that so many families (homeschool or not) are finally accepting what science has known for so long.

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